Accident at Picton

1996-08-02: The student pilot of the Schweizer SGS 2-33A glider was on his third solo flight of the day. approaching the airport, the pilot was losing altitude by side-slipping with the spoilers extended. On final approach the pilot encountered an area of sinking air. With the spoilers retracted, the glider was descending in excess of 500 feet per minute. When it became apparent that the glider would not reach the runway, the pilot intentionally landed the aircraft in an area of cedar bushes. The glider was substantially damaged but the pilot was uninjured. From a TSB Initial Notification (#A96O0131).